Disney Beauty
and the Beast.
Director Jordan
Best. Musical Director Susan Davenport. Choreographer Jodi Hammond. Ickle Pickle Productions. Belconnen Community
Theatre. January 8 – January 23 2016
Reviewed by
Peter Wilkins
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| Kaitlin Nihill as Belle. Adam Salter as The Beast |
Ickle Pickle’s
stunning holiday production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will hold you in
its spell as Jordan Best’s direction weaves its magic . Disney shows swathe you
in sentiment, spiriting you into a fanciful world of laughter, tears and
excitement , though ever secure in the knowledge that every good story has a
happy ending. Disney’s version keeps some of the elements of Gabrielle-Suzanne
Barbot Villeneuve’s original eighteenth century story of an ill-fated merchant,
whose youngest daughter agrees to live with a prince turned into a beast by an
old woman whom he refused shelter. Although the rose remains a potent symbol,
in the Disney musical version, Belle (Kaitlin Nihill) offers to exchange her
freedom for the freedom of her captured father, Maurice ( Michael Jordan), an
eccentric inventor.
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| KaitlinNihill as Belle. Pip Carroll as Lumiere |
Disney’s version
may be well known to many, because of the animated film, and my granddaughter,
as we left the Belconnen Community Theatre commented “Belle looked like Beauty,
but the Beast wasn’t dressed in yellow” It made no difference to her engagement
and she sat enchanted through a performance for a length of more than two hours, which would have tested the concentration of any
five year old. It is a tribute to the commitment, energy, characterization and
sheer effusiveness of the cast that the audience sat rapt by the story,
delighted by the songs and dancing, and absorbed in the drama, the comedy and
the magic of a meticulously staged production.
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| Liam Jones as Gaston and Ensemble |
A cynic may well
shun the show’s moral lessons, but they appear more relevant than ever to a
contemporary audience. Each scene becomes an education in proper behaviour. The
list of Dos and Donts is as long as the corridors of the Beast’s gloomy castle.
Accept people like Belle and Maurice who are different. Treat women with
respect and reject the chauvinistic arrogance of Gaston (Liam Jones . Don’t be
rude to people seeking help. After all, no one likes being turned into a Beast.
Don’t lose your temper. See the Beast (Adam Salter) for what he truly
is, a man tormented by the folly of his ways and in search of love, for only
love given and love received can banish the old woman’s curse.
Fairy tales are
flowers of the imagination, and Ickle Pickle’s colourful production under the
inspiring direction of Jordan Best, blossoms with magic moments that remind us,
as did Shakespeare, that Love is the true chalice of kindness, tolerance and
generosity.
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| Pip Carroll as Lumiere. Amy Jenkinns as Mrs. Potts. Patrick Galen-Mules as Cogsworth |
Ickle Pickle’s
production is much more than a subtly played lesson in morality. It is first
and foremost an action-packed adventure, featuring a host of fascinating
characters including the village people, the dangerous wolves and the humans
who have been turned into objects under the old woman’s curse and can only be
released by the power of love given and love received.
As a
collaborative undertaking, Beauty and the Beast is an absolute triumph. Best’s
sure-handed direction fills the stage with purpose and a dynamic creation of
the popular tale. With the aid of choreographer, Jodi Hammond, Best breathes
life into every moment on the stage, manoeuvring the large ensemble with skill
and precision, without ever losing sight of the dramatic purpose of the moment. Hammond’s choreography is
lively, and bursting with fun including touches of tribute to Busby Berkeley,
the Follies Berger and the cheeky naughtiness of the Can-Can. There is not a
moment when the stage does not come alive with a cast, immersed in character,
disciplined in action and filled with the joi d’vivre of a joyous company.
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| Members of Monsieur D'Arque's asylum |
Visually, the
production is a delight. Steve Galinec and Anita Davenport have created a
magical Children’s Theatre storybook setting, and costume designer Mim
Miley-Read has excelled in capturing the spirit of the original French period
while delighting in the costuming of the
human objects, Lumiere,( Pip Carroll), Cogsworth ( Patrick Galen-Mules), Mrs.
Potts (Amy Jenkins ), her daughter Chip (Zara McCann), Babette (Bojana Kos) and
Rebecca Franks (Madame de la Grand Bouche).
Ickle Pickle
does not employ mikes to amplify the voices and the true sounds of the natural beautifully
capture the spirit of Alan Menken’s music and the popular lyrics of Howard
Ashman and Tim Rice, under the assured musical direction of Susan Davenport. The
lack of amplification did test the vocal power of solos sung upstage, especially
by Salter’s Beast and also to some extent by Nihill’s Belle. However the
ensemble numbers exploded with enthusiasm and the show’s hit number, Be Our
Guest, with Carroll’s Lumiere leading the chorus, channelling it seemed the
great Maurice Chevalier, was sung with gusto and bravura.
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| Gaston and the Villagers |
To Best’s credit
and as a reflection of her outstanding directorial talent, the characterization
in the show was faultless. Every performer became imbued with the intention of
the moment, and there were excellent performances from an enchanting Nihill, a
dunderhead Gaston and his weasely offsider LeFou (Lachlan Burke). Carroll’s
Lumiere lit up the stage and provided a pivotal presence to play off. It is not
possible to name all the excellent performances individually, but every
character from the silly screeching, lovesick sisters to the manic, deranged
Monsieur D’Arque ( Josh Kirk) raised the bar of children’s theatre.
A decade of
providing quality Children’s Theatre for the Canberra public has exceeded expectations
with Ickle Pickle’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The company has provided an excellent training
ground for young and experienced performers and there is no doubt that this
production, brimming with talent, is certain to launch many of its performers
into a bright theatrical future on both the amateur and professional stage.
Audiences will be the poorer for missing this five star show for families.
